Keeping it Contained in Castiglion Fiorentino

   During our last week in Italy I meandered through the streets of what I now consider my Italian “hometown” and soaked in the sights, colors, and sounds of Castiglion Fiorentino. The numerous shades of green are not contained to the rolling hillsides but spill out onto the winding streets and window sills of this town in various forms. One common way the locals incorporate green throughout the streets is by container gardening.

   Castiglion Fiorentino is built on a hill, like most cities in Tuscany, so the inhabited areas are dense. This makes the area on the hill left for gardens and green space within the town extremely limited. The many types of plants in the pots and window boxes soften the hard lines of the stone walls and roads. They also add a nice pop of color to the drab shades of stone.

   I have been surprised to see the use of so many succulents in Italy. Nothing like cactus to make it feel a bit more like Texas! Some containers I have seen have a few varieties of cacti in one pot, which I had never seen before this trip. Other container gardens have succulents mixed with bushes or flowers that have contrasting shapes. Sometimes people have only one plant in a container but cluster the containers together to create a line of various colors, shapes, and sizes. Container gardening should have trailing, tall, and mass plants in the pot. Diversely textured plants should be used as well in the same container.

   I love the idea of container gardening. It is a good method for adding greenery to small spaces or bringing the outdoors in. 

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